IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1459: Physicochemical Properties of Biochars Produced from Biosolids in Victoria, Australia

IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1459: Physicochemical Properties of Biochars Produced from Biosolids in Victoria, Australia International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15071459 Authors: Yumeng Yang Barry Meehan Kalpit Shah Aravind Surapaneni Jeff Hughes Leon Fouché Jorge Paz-Ferreiro Some of the barriers associated with the land application of biosolids generated in wastewater treatment plants can be eliminated simply by converting the biosolids into biochar using a thermal conversion process called “pyrolysis”. In the current work, eight biosolids from four different wastewater treatment plants in southeast Melbourne, Victoria, Australia were collected and pyrolysed to produce biochars at two different temperatures (500 and 700 °C). In addition, characterisation studies were carried out on the biochars to obtain their physicochemical properties, which were subsequently compared with the properties of the parent biosolids. The major findings of the work demonstrated that biochars exhibited large decreases in DTPA-extractable metals such as Cd, Cu, and Zn, and also led to favorable changes in several chemical and physical characteristics (i.e., pH, Olsen P, electrical conductivity, and surface area) for agricultural land application compared to their original form (i.e., biosolids). Overall, the study suggests that there is great potential for converting biosolids to biochar using pyro...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research